The Witch's Will

by Raven Snow

  Adora and Fabia shrieked. Everyone turned to find them hurrying away from the wall. Otsuya was standing where they had been, still ghostly and luminous. She floated above the ground, her hair floating like she was underwater. Her eyes were focused in on nothing at all.

  “Otsuya felt differently… and so did your mother, I suppose,” continued Doyle. “She set up wards against our girl there before she was even after her.”

  “You’re the one who set Otsuya on my mother then.” Shannon’s expression darkened. “You’re why she changed her will, why she expected to be murdered.”

  “It didn’t take much prompting,” Doyle demurred. “And I can’t imagine why she would change her will. That’s not any of my business.”

  “How can you say that when—”

  “I don’t think he’s lying.” Lady interrupted. “Lucette wanted someone to figure out who had killed her. What good would that have done her if the person who killed her was…” Lady hated to say it. “Otsuya is dead. She can’t be punished. It can’t really tarnish her memory. This can only make Lucette look worse, right?”

  Shannon opened her mouth as if to respond to that but paused. She exhaled and lowered her gaze to the floor. “I should have stayed. I should have fought to keep this place open but instead I ran. That school did so many girls and boys so much good… For all I know, closing it down hurt more kids than Otsuya.” She shook her head. “No. No, I don’t have to guess at it. I know it hurt more than just her.”

  “I think your mom wanted to fix that.” Lady squirmed where she sat, not entirely comfortable speaking for the deceased. “Even if she wasn’t willing to fix it in life… I don’t know. Maybe she was scared to tell anyone and face the way people would look at her after that.”

  “So she left me a mess to clean up.” Shannon swore beneath her breath. “That sounds like her.”

  “Or she left you a way to make things right,” suggested Lady.

  Doyle nodded. Sensing that this was the moment for his salesman skills to shine, he sat up straight on the sofa. “I’m ready and willing to strike up a deal. I’m sure you’ll find it more than fair. I’m willing to call off Otsuya if—”

  “I’m not sure that’s necessary.” Lady cut off Doyle and didn’t feel the least bit bad about it. The more she saw of his true colors, the less and less she liked him. “Otsuya is a vengeful spirit, right? Vengeful spirits want something. And, I mean, it’s not like she could possibly be all that vengeful. She seems pretty chill most of the time. Maybe we can make this right in a way that will make everyone happy without… whatever he’s about to suggest.”

  Doyle began to say something but Shannon raised her hand, silencing him. “What do you suggest?” she asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.

  “Maybe…” Opening the school back up seemed like a big ask. She needed to suggest something more immediately doable. “Technically we solved who murdered Lucette right?”

  A strangled sound came from the sisters. Shannon shushed them.

  “I’m not sure if it’s really something that’s enforceable. I mean, how do you prove a ghost killed someone? So, maybe instead you can donate some money to Crispin and his library. Otsuya loves the library, so…” Lady looked to Crispin.

  Crispin, in turn, looked to Otsuya. “How does that sound? I’ll even un-ban you. You’re the one who would be earning me all the extra help. I would owe you at least that much.”

  Slowly, Otsuya turned her head. Her distant eyes focused in on Crispin. There wasn’t much recognition there, not yet.

  Doyle stood. “Come on, Otsuya. We should take our leave. These fine folks here don’t want to listen to our offer. We’ll pay them a visit another day.” The strange whispering from the woods filled the household.

  Lady clapped her hands over her ears, but Crispin didn’t. He sprang to his feet. “Otsuya,” he said firmly, going to her. “This isn’t you. You know this isn’t you. The only one doing you wrong now is that man over there.” He pointed emphatically to Doyle. “Don’t let anyone else tell you what you can and can’t do.”

  Otsuya was still staring at Crispin. She was motionless, so still it was unnerving. The whispering continued, growing louder and louder. Otsuya opened her mouth. “Then don’t act like you can ban me from a public library.” Otsuya slowly lowered to the ground. A more lively hue returned to her cheeks. She looked around, a frown coming over her face. “Where am I?”

  Lady was on her feet before she knew it. She closed the distance between herself and Otsuya in a hurry and pulled her into a hug. “Oh, man. It’s so good to have you back. You have no idea how good it is to have you back.”

  Otsuya brought her arms up haltingly. She gave Lady an awkward hug in return, patting her gently on the back. All at once, she groaned. “I was off traveling again, wasn’t I?” she groaned. “Look, I don’t know what I did this time, but—”

  “Don’t worry about it.” It was Crispin who spoke. Lady saw him smiling at Otsuya as Lady stepped away. “It’s good to have you back.”

  “I think it’s time you cleared out of here.” It was Shannon who spoke. Lady thought she was talking to all of her late night guests, but it looked like she was only addressing Doyle.

  To his credit, Doyle didn’t linger. He got up with a sigh and smoothed down his nice, clean suit. “I’m sorry we couldn’t figure out something between the two of us.”

  “You’re not.” Shannon nodded to the door again. “Now get out.”

  Doyle headed for the door. Otsuya made a move toward him, but Lady saw Crispin catch her by the shoulder. Lady followed instead.

  The night was still outside, stiller than it had been before. All that had just happened had quieted the wildlife, apparently. “So, this is what Otsuya means when she says she’s out traveling.” Lady said, crossing her arms over her chest and regarding Doyle with what she hoped was obvious disapproval. “You use her for something or another. You basically have her as—what? A kind of thrall? What are you anyway? Some kind of… demon?”

  Doyle turned to face Lady. He was smiling again and, to her surprise, it actually looked genuine. “A demon?” he repeated. “Well, you’re welcome to think whatever you like of me, I suppose.” He nodded past Lady, toward the closed front door. “Otsuya does work for me. I wouldn’t call her my thrall. I did have a plan here, but… I’ll just have to find a new way to go about it.”

  “What is it?” asked Lady, trying to keep the curiosity from her voice and failing.

  “You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?” Doyle turned to leave. “Well, I’ll see you back at the inn.”

  “You’re going back to the inn?”

  “Of course I am. That’s where I’m staying right now. Where else would I go?”

  Lady had no answer for that. She responded with another question. “Are you… We’re both staying there, so…”

  “I’m not going to try and set Otsuya on you while you sleep, if that’s what you mean.” Doyle raised a hand and gave a small wave as he walked away, bidding her goodbye. “I imagine things will just be a little more awkward around the breakfast table is all.”

  Lady watched as he disappeared behind the tree line. What was his relationship with Ms. Poole? Did they even have a relationship? Lady hoped Ms. Poole didn’t have some kind of deal with him. She wasn’t sure Ms. Poole would even tell her if she asked.

  “What happened?”

  Lady jumped as a deep voice sounded off to her right. She spun around to find Dom staring at her from the bushes. “You terrified me,” she breathed as she hopped off the steps and went to stand with him in the shadows.

  “I terrified you?” Dom scoffed. “All the magic that’s flying around tonight, and I didn’t have a clue what was going on. I was nearly ready to come charging in through the front door. What happened?”

  Lady looked back toward the house. She opened her mouth to explain, but words failed her. “It’s a long story,” she said instead. “We’ll fill you in later.”

&nb
sp; “Crispin is in there too then?”

  “Crispin and Otsuya.”

  “What?”

  “Like I said, it’s a long story.”

  “It sounds like it.”

  Lady cuffed Dom on the arm. “On the plus side, you won’t have to worry so much about Crispin over-working himself anymore. I think we’ve found a way to get him more than enough funding.”

  “Really?”

  Lady didn’t have to look at Dom to know that he was smiling. He cared about his friends. He didn’t look like the sort of guy who would, but he did. She liked that about him. “Really,” she confirmed with a nod.

  “Then I owe you an apology and a thank you.” Dom returned the playful punch to Lady’s shoulder. “I’m glad you believed an old lady’s crazy will and stuck your nose in where it didn’t belong.”

  “Thank you,” said Lady. “I don’t hear that nearly enough.”

  *The End*

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